Harvard-MIT student devises formula that helps runners carb load so they finish strong
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comHey marathoners: Avoid hitting the wall!
Seeded on Thu Oct 21, 2010 6:48 PM EDT (msnbc.com)
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These carb formulas may be an improvement in principle, but the 220-Age for max heart rate isn't very helpful. It's a regression formula that describes what happens, on the average, for the population. But it doesn't apply to individuals very well. It's like saying the average height is 5'6" when half the population is 6' and the other half is 5', and NOBODY is 5'6". It's going to overestimate for about half the people and underestimate for the other half -- sometimes by a LOT. My own max heart rate is at least 30 higher than 220 minus my age, and I run at a sustained heart rate of around 13 higher. According to the formula, I ought to be dead! And I have never met ANYONE that the formula worked very well for. You can get a much better estimate simply by going all out for the last 1/4 mile of a 5k or 10k run -- assuming you're healthy enough!
It a general rule of thumb kind of thing. I dont think anyone takes it as gospel. I am a long distance runner and my max is around 20 bp higher. I think anyone at an above level of conditioning is going to be at least a little higher. My sustained rate is around 10 higher.
Agree MathCraft. Though well beyond my distance running days, when I was 21 and tip-top physical condition, by resting heart rate was 48. On a stress test, the doctor could not get my heart rate above 132, despite exceeding output of many others with a higher heart rate. I had a pronounced runners murmur, and the doctor said I had an unusually strong heart muscle. I was a much better sprinter than distance runner.
Each individual needs to use this a generic starting point and then refine it for his/her particular metabolism and cardiovascular capacity.
So is this supposed to abolish the need to work up to the traditional weekly mileage average?
The 20 mile weekend run? Hillwork?
I don't think that's what the article is suggesting. You should still build up your mileage over the course of time, but diet is VERY important! You can't just wake up one morning and decide to bang out 26 miles when you haven't been able to do 5.
I am not a runner, rather a cyclist, and I have seen people run out of gas before the end of a 100+ mile ride because they didn't consume enough nutrients. Granted, we cyclists carry all sorts of gels and snacks in our pockets and have bottle cages to hold all sorts of fuel, so I think we have it easier than marathon runners! Anyway, this formula is a welcome aid to most athletes who do not have the means to be stress tested in a lab.
"A new formula by a marathon runner and student at Harvard and MIT gives elite runners and marathon enthusiasts a more exact way to calculate just how many carb calories they need to take to stay in the 26.2 mile race."
ok, so
220 - 50 (age) = 170 (max HR) / 70 (resting HR)= 2.4285 x 15= 36.428
so that's 36.428 calories of carbs
what, per mile?
per hour?
at the start of the race?
comments????
did I calculate correctly?
thanks
This is a great article from the standpoint of I think the more science we can have in our training the better prepared we will be and the better chance of not 'hitting the wall'. There needs to be a continued shift in how we train and this is not only for the serious and elite runners, but especially for the the beginning marathon runner. People are always going to test their limits, but if they know where their limits are based on their previous months training they are going to be less likely to 'hit the wall' in the last 6 miles of a race. This is because they know that based on current training they can push past the pace they have been running at or they will hit the wall.
I am 67 and my maxium is age 27 by this famula. It works for about 10%. Hart rates fall in a bell curve and 220-age only works for the person at the top of the bell.